Of Dragons And Gods
by MrsPuppetEx
Summary: Heartbreak and tragedy follows Juliette wherever she goes. What will become of her when the notoriously helpful guild of Fairy Tail offers her a hand in helping her to gain control over the wayward magic within her? Will she finally find a place she can call home? Or was this another sick joke that the Gods were playing on the broken woman?/Mature/Dark Themes/Owned by Hiro Mashima
1. Chapter 1

**A/N;** _This is a story idea that just came to me earlier today and I can't help but to write it. It will be a darker story, but with a LOT of humor as it goes on. Without further ado... The prologue._

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 _ **Enjoy, my delicate marionettes!**_

 _ **~ MrsPuppetEx**_

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A bitter wind blew down into the small crevice that was carved out of the side of a tall mountain, blowing out the small campfire and causing the cave's single occupant to shiver uncomfortably. This was nothing new to her, however, she'd been used to living with the biting cold and- as her stomach let out a soft, rumbling growl- was far too used to going hungry most nights.

Sighing heavily, the woman curled her long legs up to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees as she stared at the last embers of the small fire she'd managed to build blink out, plunging the cave into relative darkness. It had only taken her two hours to build the fire, of course the Gods hated her enough to simply snuff it out after she'd used most of her remaining energy to construct the small flame.

Blowing a strand of raven hair out of her face, she cast her pale orange gaze around the cave she'd taken shelter in to keep out of the snow storm that had rolled in quickly. It almost seemed as though someone else had been staying there, though she couldn't imagine why anyone would willingly stay in such a chilling climate.

This made her snort at herself in derision, who was she to judge? She was doing the same thing, wasn't she? She'd been in these mountains for the better part of two months and here she was, staying in a cave to keep out of the snow while judging someone else for doing the exact thing she had been doing.

Though… She needed to do this, it was her punishment for her sins.

"Get ahold of yourself, Juliette," Her soft voice whispered in the hollow cave as a tear trekked down her tanned cheek. "You know it wasn't your fault that you lost control."

Juliette had had this same conversation with herself nearly every day since she had been a child and had been cast out from her village. It wasn't much solace to know that she didn't have a choice in what kind of magic she was given, the choice having been ripped away from her to even choose if she would practice magic in the first place. No, it really wasn't her fault for what had happened all those years ago, but that didn't stop her from worrying every time she was around other humans.

Telling herself she needed to sleep a little for the energy, Juliette laid her head down on the small leather bag she used to carry the minimal belongings she owned and closed her eyes, praying to whatever Gods that were out there that her bad luck would end soon.

No sooner had she fallen asleep than did the first brilliant rays of sunshine burst into the wide opening of the cave, hitting the black haired beauty directly in the face. She groaned in frustration, sitting up and rubbing away the bleariness in her eyes as she cursed the Gods once more, knowing they must simply have it out for her at this point. Why else would she constantly be hungry, running on little sleep, unable to even be a normal human being?

Puffing out her cheeks on a huff of breath, Juliette grabbed her bag before standing and making her way into the forest, deciding she would use the minimal money she'd earned a few days ago from helping that nice farmer and his wife to tend their fields so that she could maybe get some food. She glanced down at her worn shoes and figured she might need a new pair before long, though these would last a while longer.

Her senses were sharp as she made her way through the forest towards the town she knew lay close to where she'd been camped out for the night. It had been easy enough to memorize the topographical map that the farmer had supplied her as another gift for helping to work the fields for him. Good thing, too, because the map had later been destroyed when she had fallen into a river while walking along a makeshift bridge which had soaked her to her bones.

Juliette ran her tongue over her teeth, she would need to grab another pack of cigarettes, maybe two if she could swing it. There was a possibility she would be able to grab another simple job in this small town so she could make a bit more money and that meant she needed to be around people, which never failed to make her nervous, unfortunately.

She tugged on the cords of her hoodie as she stepped onto the dirt path that would lead into the town, her anxiety already creeping up on her the closer to civilization she became. Her eyes darted around a moment before she closed them and took in a deep breath, taking in the scents of the forest around her and the fluffy snow that was piled nearly to her knees. She was lucky she could handle cold better than most, but not enough to simply not feel it, which made her nomadic way of life even more frustrating.

If only she could control her magic…

Shaking away those thoughts, Juliette chewed her lip as she entered the town and made quick work of purchasing the things she needed before seeking out the board that posted jobs for freelance mages to make a little cash. Her orange eyes moved over the postings quickly, a small frown forming when she noted it was nearly empty with no jobs she would be able to complete without using magic- which was completely off of the table, thank you very much.

Deciding the trip into the town wasn't completely wasted as she'd managed to buy a reasonable amount of food to hold her over for a few days, Juliette sought out the road out of town, thinking she would take her chances in the slightly larger town just to the south of where this one was. It would be worth it, even if she had to deal with more people, so long as she made enough money to buy a pair of hiking boots, maybe even a thicker jacket if this snow kept up.

As she walked past an alley, Juliette gave a yelp of surprise when a hand snagged her arm and pulled her back into the shadows, her mouth quickly being covered as she attempted to cry out. Her bag was quickly pulled from her grasp and tossed aside, her assailant possibly thinking she may have had a weapon there.

Juliette's eyes went wide with fear when she saw that there were four men grinning lecherously at her, five total when she counted the one who held her trapped against his chest. She knew what was about to happen and was powerless to prevent it. Her last thought before her mind hazed over being that she truly hoped that no one would die as her magic flared around her, tinging her eyes black.

* * *

When she finally came to, Juliette's orange eyes went wide as she looked around her at the carnage she'd caused. Her gaze drifted down to her hands that were trembling at her sides and she let out a strangled sob at the sight of the crimson covered appendages.

The raven haired woman collapsed to her knees, not noticing that the motion caused fresh blood to splash up and cover what already was dry and crusted on her skin. Her eyes were wide with horror as she saw the buildings that had once been the small picturesque town now laying in rubble, no sound coming from anything in the area, her ears picking up on no heartbeats or strangled gasps for air.

 _What had she done?!_

Juliette let out a loud wailing scream, her voice echoing through the razed town. This was exactly why she didn't like being around others. This was why she'd been cast out from her village at the young age of thirteen. She had no control over her magic and this was what happened when she was forced into using it to save herself.

She cried until she had nothing left, her breath coming in shaking hitches and her eyes staring blankly at her blood-soaked hands. Her fingers twitched slightly around a piece of burned fabric that drifted down to settle in her palm, the white stitching absorbing some of the blood from her hands as she clenched it tight before standing up on shaky legs. Juliette cast her gaze around the town once more before she swept up her bag that had remained untouched by the destruction and slung it over her shoulder.

The piece of fabric fell from between her fingers as she walked slowly away from the burning town, floating away in the breeze along with the souls of those who were living their lives a few measly hours prior before it landed on the yarn hair of a doll that lay next to the still hand of a small girl who was held in the arms of the burned shell of what would likely have been her mother, wrapped tightly around the child as if to shield her from their gruesome fates.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why do we need to go so far north?" Freed questioned in that quietly logical way that he had about him, his green eyes focused on the small guildmaster. "Seven has never asked for help before."

The old man sighed heavily, playing with his moustache as he sat cross-legged upon his large oaken desk, his eyes clouded with sorrow and worry. He'd kept quiet about the meeting he was holding right at this moment with both Team Natsu and the Raijinshuu in attendance.

What was he hiding? Laxus wondered as he looked over at his grandfather with his brows drawn together.

"They had a small village completely massacred nearly a month ago," Makarov explained, watching his beloved children's reactions to the news. "Not a man, woman, or child was left still breathing," He continued, holding out a file to his blond grandson who took the manila folder, flipping it open casually before his stormy eyes went wide at the smattering of photos that greeted him.

A town appeared to be razed completely to the ground, no building left standing in the area that sat nestled within a snow-covered forest. The photos, upon closer inspection, showed that the people had clearly been killed by some form of blunt weapon, and without mercy.

When Laxus saw a photo of the lifeless body of a young girl cradled in the arms of a woman who had been burnt to a crisp, he snapped the folder closed and rolled it up in his hand, keeping it from the gaze of the others around him. He wouldn't let any of them have to see the carnage that they would have to see once they got to their destination, he would try to prevent them from that heartache for as long as possible. Especially Lucy.

"Any details we should know?" He asked Makarov gruffly. Gray eyes narrowed when the old man seemed to hesitate to tell him something, the old man was withholding information that could potentially cost his precious children their lives. What was it about this job? "Spit it out, old man."

"The woman who did this is not at fault."

"First," Makarov greeted, quickly standing up from his seated position and giving a small frown to the ghostly woman. "I cannot ask this of them."

"I can," She responded simply, leveling the man with a glare in a rare show of irritation. Mavis sighed slightly before clasping her hands before her and looking at each of the gathered mages. "This woman has no control over her magic," She explained, using her magic to create an image of the woman that supposedly had massacred an entire village.

She looked so… Ordinary. With waist length, jet black hair, pale orange eyes that spoke of a haunting sadness, and curves that nearly matched that of Lucy's, the woman was truly beautiful- even Laxus had to admit that fact. He ignored the low whistle from Bickslow at the sight of the woman clad in only a ragged bra and panties in a muted gray.

Laxus watched the woman as she sobbed to herself, using a stream to wash crusted blood from her skin as what appeared to be a cold wind buffeted her body. Her hands roughly scraped at her lightly tanned skin until it was red and raw, tears streaming down her face the entire time as she repeated that she was sorry, so sorry, over and over again.

"How can we be sure that isn't simply her regretting what she'd done of her own free-will?" Gray asked, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at the projection shown to them.

"Tell me," Makarov began, placing a hand on the blonde spirit's shoulder so she would allow him to speak to the young man. "If you had a magic you had absolutely no control over forced onto you, one that was dangerous and one that there were few books in existence even mentioning it in passing, how would you feel?"

"Alone."

Attention turned to the serious gaze of their resident Seith Mage with his brows drawn together as he stared down at the metal visor in his hands. His knuckles were white with the death grip he had on the object, his breathing had quickened a bit as he frowned.

Red eyes blinked up at the Master when he hummed. "I didn't ask for my magic," He admitted, his tone clouded with near self-disgust. Laxus had never seen the man react this way towards… anything. It was completely out of character and he didn't know how to react to the way his oldest friend was acting.

"Tell us what it was like," Mavis encouraged, placing a small hand on the man's face to soothe him a bit. "They need to hear what you went through to understand."

Laxus nearly scoffed at the woman. There was no way that Bickslow was about to tell them about his past, the man had never even spoken to him about it, and they were supposed to be best friends who told each other everything. It would be a cold day in hell before he-

"I killed my entire family," The Seith Mage admitted to the shocked gasps of those around him as he smiled sadly at the wooden totems that floated lazily above his head. "I thought I wouldn't have magic until one day, I was being picked on by my older brothers. The four of them used to bully me like no fucking other." He chuckled dryly when he held out a hand and one of the totems landed in it, his thumb stroking the wood. "My mom would yell at them, but it never stopped them. That particular day, they beat the fuck out of me until my magic erupted. I could hear the screams of my brothers and parents as my magic pulled their souls from their bodies, though I didn't know what it was at the time."

Gray eyes were wide with shock as Laxus gaped at his oldest friend. He never would have imagined something like this had happened to him, he had no fucking idea what the man had gone through in the past before showing up at Fairy Tail. What kind of friend was he if he couldn't even notice how badly the man's past was haunting him?

"I was exiled from my village," Bickslow continued on a near sigh. "They didn't arrest me because they knew it wasn't really my fault, but this," He gestured towards his totems and then to the tattoo that adorned his face. "This was proof enough that I was a monster to them and they feared for the other kids."

Erza stepped forward and wrapped the man in her arms, holding him close to her chest as he began to silently cry. Her usual sternness was gone as she held the man that everyone knew she loved dearly. Sure, the pairing was somewhat strange in the beginning, but whatever worked for them was perfectly acceptable within the guild.

Laxus himself was in shock, he seriously had no idea that all of this had happened to his friend, had never even thought to ask about his past. They never discussed those kinds of things, not even on the numerous occasions they'd gotten shit-face drunk. It was almost inconceivable to the large Lightning Mage who barely noticed when slender arms wrapped around his waist.

He looked down to see the sunny hair of his mate, the woman's face pressed into his chest as tears seeped through his shirt. Numbly, his own arms wrapped around the Stellar Mage, holding her close as he sought the comfort her strawberries and cream scent gave him.

"What do you want us to do?" He asked over the shorter blonde's head, his gaze level with his grandfather's own softening gaze.

"Convince this woman that we can help her and bring her here," Makarov stated when all eyes turned back to him. "Do so with discretion because she is a wanted woman, after all."

* * *

Juliette sighed heavily as she finished the last of the rations she'd stolen from a group of bandits that had passed by her small campsite about a week before. She needed to consider going into a town and finding a job she could do to make some money so she wouldn't have to steal anything else. She abhorred thievery, it made her feel nearly as tainted as losing control of her magic did- even if the people she stole from were thieves themselves.

Deciding she needed to give her offering to the Gods for the month, Juliette set about lighting her small campfire a bit higher, coaxing the flames into a true campfire as she'd done monthly just as her tribe had done in the past. It was the one small thing that connected her to her past and it felt like something she always needed to do, especially right now as her magic seemed to tug her along to complete the small preparations for setting up the ritual.

When she'd finished placing the sage bundle into the flames, Juliette pulled a fox from the wooden cage she'd fashioned for it out of branches and cradled it to her chest. She hated this part, but, as the fox had been granted to her as her soul-binder, it was something she had to do.

Her orange eyes softened as she looked at the creature who watched her curiously and gave a twitch of it's nose. "I'm so sorry for this," She whispered softly, stroking the animal's ears before pressing it down onto a flat rock that she had placed before her for this very purpose.

She was so grateful that this sacrifice only had to be done once a year this way as she pulled a long hunting knife from her pack and pressed it to the fox's throat. Any more than this one innocent creature a year and Juliette was certain she wouldn't be able to do this, no matter the cost to herself for disobeying the Gods.

"Ares," Juliette spoke in a loud voice as she used the blade to slice the now-struggling animal's jugular. "Accept this offering as a part of my soul." She kept her gaze focused on the fire as she used her strength to keep the creature from thrashing too much, not wanting to see what she had done, it would break her heart to see that much.

She tossed the body into the fire and watched as the flames burst into a brilliant green, showing her that the God had heard her call. Her orange eyes focused on the puddle of blood on the flat stone, moving to pour it into a wooden bowl that she'd previously prepared with several herbs and spices.

Juliette lifted the knife to the sky, "Grant me the sight this night." She kept her hands high as she drew the sharp blade across her skin, not even wincing at the pain. Blood slowly snaked down her arm before she held it over the bowl and allowed her own life-essence to mix with that of the fox's, the herbs floating in the thick mixture.

"Allow me to see what Fate has in store for me this year and I will be forever your servant," She whispered once more, setting the knife aside and lifting the bowl in her hands. Juliette took a deep breath before drinking down the mixed bloods, wincing at the taste that made her stomach turn.

Immediately her vision became clouded and Juliette gasped as she faced a blackness unlike any other she'd seen before. It seemed to caress her, coaxing her into it's embrace before a flash of navy hair filled her line of sight and she was thrust back into reality, awakening on the ground near the fire that had long-since burned down to cooling embers.

Juliette shook the cloudiness of her vision away, her mind racing a mile a minute. What had this meant? Darkness that felt so welcoming, so warm, while almost cold at the same time. The dark hair that she'd only seen for an instant. That was all she got? What was she supposed to do with such minuscule information?

Groaning in uncharactistic frustrations, Juliette replaced the bowl and blade into her pack before rising to her feet. She kicked some dirt and snow onto the fire, putting out the last few embers before turning and beginning to walk in the direction she'd been in before.

If she was going to escape the Emerald Knights that were likely searching for someone connected with the massacre of that village a month before, she needed to flee the country, and quickly. She'd been wandering further and further south, keeping to moving at night to prevent being seen by anyone as she knew her bloodstained clothing would be a giveaway that she had been up to something, whether it was her fault or not.

For now, she was hoping to make it across the border and into Fiore before the Emerald Knights found her. That was her only hope of remaining a free woman.


	3. Chapter 3

Two whole weeks of walking found Juliette waking groggily from her fitful sleep, the sound of children's screams still ringing in her ears. She whimpered slightly, rolling over in her sleeping bag to curl in upon herself, hands clamped over her ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the sound that plagued her.

She was used to the nightmares, expected them each time she shut her orange eyes when her exhaustion was finally too much for her to handle. Juliette would be surprised if she ever got any amount of sleep without the dreams stalking her and torturing her through the fitful sleep. She rarely got enough, the only times she had been able to get a full night's worth of sleep being when she had indulged in some of the drugs she'd stolen from a group of bandits she'd stumbled upon nearly eight months prior. It didn't seem quite fair that she would suffer this much, but, then, Juliette was certain that she was cursed by the Gods due to her mother's selfish desires to keep her only daughter alive.

When the screams finally dulled down enough that the surrounding forest sounds bled through her senses, Juliette uncurled herself and set about deconstructing her camp, pointedly ignoring her growling stomach as she knew she had run out of food after the previous evening's paltry meal of stale bread and questionable water. With her pack upon her shoulders, the woman began walking, knowing she would be close to the border with Fiore at this point and wanting to make it across by nightfall, silently hoping to whatever God might be listening that they would spare her enough to grant her safe passage over the rough marshlands that would leave her out in the open for far too long.

Soon enough, her worn shoes began sticking to the ground, water that was as black as night welling up the sides of her boots and making her realize she would be cold and freezing when she would finally reach solid ground. Juliette again pushed those thoughts from her mind, pushing on as the ground beneath her feet grew softer and she was soon wading through dark water that came clear up to her waist. She could see dark creatures in the distance, scaled beasts rising and falling in the marshlands and threatening to come much to close for comfort.

Her orange eyes stayed alert, scanning the horizon and aware of anything that moved in the area. If she had been paying attention to her left more, Juliette would have noticed the group of Emerald Knights much sooner than she had, would have veered further away from them and snuck behind their path so that she wouldn't have risked detection. That, however was not in the cards as she heard a jeering comment from one man to another and her heart simply dropped.

Thinking quickly, Juliette dove beneath the murky waters of the marsh, holding her breath and slinking beneath the surface as slowly as she possibly could. The water was freezing with the imminent seasonal change to Fall, but she had grown so used to the cold that she was able to ignore the stiffening of her joints, pressing on as though her very life depended on it- which it surely did.

She halted in her movements when a booted foot came crashing down before her face, her eyes going wide as she sat, curled around the legs of the Emerald Knight who had stepped perfectly around her. Her whole body stiffened, the cold coming in handy as she waited with baited breath for the man to make a move so she could slink away.

The voices of the trio of men could be heard, muffled by the water. They were still joking about something or other and Juliette struggled to stay still, her lungs screaming for air as she did nothing but wait. It seemed like ages as the men stayed in that spot, apparently one of them having seen what appeared to be a person so close to the border. Satisfied that it had been a false alarm, the men moved and Juliette, having anticipated the action, skittered away, making sure that their backs were to her as she slowly rose to the surface of the marsh water and took slow, even breaths when all her body wanted was to gasp for air.

She kept low to the water, her nose being the most of herself she allowed above the surface as she continued her movements towards the border. It was so close, she could see the line that clearly marked the edge between Seven and Fiore. Her freedom was just in her grasp as she inched ever so much closer to it.

The same voices caught her attention and she narrowly avoided being caught as she lowered herself back into the water, once again becoming caught in a terrible position as she was stuck between the legs of two of the men. Her hair drifted slightly and she reached out to catch it, only for her hand to brush the leg of one of the Knights.

Juliette's eyes went wide as the man gave a loud shout, drawing the attention of the other two men who had apparently been looking elsewhere. They all grouped up and she willed her lungs to simply obey her for just a while longer, her heart hammering in her chest as the Emerald Knights could clearly be heard discussing something touching the man's leg.

Seconds ticked by as they spoke and Juliette's lungs screamed, her mind clouding slightly as she braced herself on the bottom of the marsh. She blinked away the black spots that began to swim in her vision, her head beginning to ache from the lack of oxygen. It was in this moment she knew that she should have stolen those damn diving pills from that group of travelers she'd passed the week before. It was stupid of her to simply overlook them because, had she not, she would have been able to pop one and swim clear across the border with the trio of men none the wiser of her presence.

Juliette could see the glowing edges of the border, could feel the magic that would save her from her terrible situation only a few arm's widths away. If only she could get herself out from between these men, she would be able to slink across to the other side and they wouldn't be able to touch her, she would officially be a citizen of Fiore, whether they wanted her to be or not. For any reason, if they would touch her once she crossed, they would all face hanging after being charged with anything the Fiorian government could think of.

That was why Juliette knew that she would be safe in Fiore, whether or not she had proper documentation, if she got across the border, the magic would mark her as a citizen and she would automatically be under the protection of the neighboring country. Seven was not as kind as Fiore and the latter country's King had implemented these conditions due to the terrible civil war that flared up all the time due to a discrepancy with the crown within Seven. It was a failsafe for any of the Sevenese who wished for freedom of the war-torn country, even if the only way to leave was to sneak across the border.

Thinking quickly, Juliette braced herself on the bottom of the water, planting her boots into the mud and reaching out with her hand. She had to work quickly, lest she lose her chance at being free. Her lungs were already constricting and the spots that had been forming, threatened to overtake her vision completely. If she were to pass out, she would either drown, or float to the surface where she would inevitably be captured and tried as a defector. She absolutely couldn't risk that.

Juliette reached out with her hand, tensing the muscles in her legs as she brushed a finger across the ankle of the man to her left, the one who blocked her path to Fiore. The moment the man jumped in surprise, she sprang, the muscles in her legs launching her forward at the same moment she released her pack as it would have only been a hindrance. The pack floated to the surface of the water which caught the attention of the men who all began shouting, rushing through the water hot on her trail as they knew where she was headed.

The moment she crossed the border, Juliette felt the tingle along her skin, the shift in her magic as the mark behind her ear changed from the mark of her birth country to that of Fiore, the symbol appearing in black ink and marking her as a citizen. As soon as the tingle wore off, she rose from the water onto the shore, taking heaving breaths while the trio of men glared at her over the border.

She had lost her pack, but the loss was worth it as she took ragged breaths and shivered within her thin, drenched clothing. Her hair stuck to her face and neck in wet clumps, bits of moss and grime sticking to her skin in patches. The once white and blood spattered shirt was now a muddy brown, disguising what she'd done close to two months prior- something she was almost grateful for.

Sound from ahead drew orange eyes up from the kneeling position on the ground where she'd been heaving and trying to calm her racing heart. Juliette was met with a large group of people ranging from a bubbly blonde woman to a silly looking knight. Their eyes were all locked onto her shivering form and Juliette winced, curling in on herself with her head on the wet ground. She hoped that these people wouldn't hurt her, she had nothing to give and had already just played odds against her own life- and come out on top, miraculously. Man, she needed a cigarette.

"Are you Juliette?"

Her eyes narrowed and she looked up once more at the blonde girl who was now knelt down before her, brown eyes warm and showing a kindness that Juliette had never felt before. Shakily, she nodded, vaguely wondering how these people knew who she was. It was uncommon for Seven to ask for help on anything, and she wondered if perhaps they had called in help from one of the strong guilds of Fiore due to the town she'd- Nope, don't think about that right now.

"My name is Lucy," The woman offered. Juliette couldn't help but notice how soothing the woman's magic felt. It was like a warm blanket that wrapped around her own and calmed her frayed nerves, tamed the wildness within her until her magic seemed as though it were on it's back, mewling like a kitten. "We've been looking for you."

"How… long…" Juliette asked, taking shaky breaths as her heart threatened to rip out of her chest.

"We got word of you being wanted about a month ago," A redheaded woman stated, eyes showing a fierceness that had the raven haired woman flinching back instinctively.

"You know what I did then," Her voice sounded lost through her chattering teeth, accepting of whatever these people were here to do. She hadn't planned on dying today, but Juliette, being used to how her homeland worked, was always prepared for the day that she would be captured and killed for everything she'd done- whether it was her fault or not.

"Blondie."

Lucy turned to the beefy blond male with a smile and a nod before looking back at the shivering Juliette. "Let's get you somewhere warm and safe," She said, standing before offering a hand to the drenched woman curled on the ground. "You must be hungry and tired after all of the traveling you've done."

Juliette looked at the hand extended towards her suspiciously before turning a curious gaze onto Lucy. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because we help those in need," Came the serious response. "We're Fairy Tail, it's what we do."

Looking at the nods of agreement from the group that were staring at her, Juliette tentatively reached out and grasped the blonde's hand, allowing Lucy to pull her to her feet. She wobbled slightly, but maintained her upright position, looking around as the people surrounded her and a coat of some sort was draped over her shoulders.

She couldn't stop the tears that began to fall down her face, could hold back the gentle sobs as Lucy wrapped an arm around her waist to help her to walk forward. It was too much for the woman who had never known any amount of kindness in her life. "Thank you," Juliette whimpered between sniffles, keeping her eyes on the ground as she walked, unwilling to look up.

Had she done just that, Juliette would have seen the kind smiles and nods of the head from the mages of Fairy Tail, all of them feeling pity in their hearts for the lost and emotional woman.


	4. Chapter 4

The warm water was a welcome relief, ebbing away at the chill in Juliette's bones as she sat in the large tub, knees drawn up to her chest as the kind blonde woman, Lucy, sat behind her, drawing a sponge across her back. She gave a gentle sigh, enjoying the chance to become clean for the first time in what felt like forever.

Her mind was calm for once, all thought simply drifting away while her sore body was pampered in a way Juliette could never remember having. Lucy talked gently, telling her of what they knew about her, the slightly smaller woman flinching when what she'd done was mentioned. It wasn't something she was proud of and, in fact, was a source of great shame for the raven haired beauty.

With her hair and body clean, Lucy helped Juliette out of the tub and handed her a fluffy robe to wrap herself in. She was grateful that the robe covered the worst of her bruises and she hadn't missed the wince from Lucy when she'd seen what Juliette wore around her right thigh, the thick and intricately crafted spiked chain digging into flesh that was scarred from years of wearing the cilice. Juliette knew that her form of penance was not one that many would agree upon and was not something that the people from Fiore were used to seeing, though it was still questionable even in Seven where the practice was, at one point, used far and wide and not only within the small tribes that worshipped the different Gods and Goddesses of old.

Juliette jumped slightly when a woman with pale pink hair appeared, dressed in a maid outfit and chains around her neck and wrists, a stoic expression on her face. "Hime," The woman said, looking at Lucy. "I have brought clothing for you and your companions. Sir Laxus' coat has been cleaned and returned to him."

"Thank you, Virgo," Lucy replied with a bright smile. "This is Juliette. Juliette, meet my spirit, Virgo."

Spirit? So, this had to be a Celestial Spirit Mage. Juliette remembered hearing about other types of magics during her travels and she found herself interested in learning more, although she was still unsure about what was going to come of herself now that she was in the company of these people. Would they hurt her? Unlikely seeing as they had their chance when they'd found her. So, what was their purpose?

"It is nice to meet you, Miss Juliette, friend of my hime," Virgo said with a slight bow.

Juliette nodded, not knowing what else to do and not trusting her voice. The spirit vanished, leaving Lucy and Juliette alone once more, the blonde going through the clothing that had been left by Virgo. She pulled out some items for herself and quickly dressed in a skirt and top that showed off her nice long legs and generous chest. Sitting on the toilet to pull on the short boots she'd been given, Lucy sent Juliette a kind smile.

"There are clothes there," She gestured to the counter. "If the style isn't what you like, I can call Virgo back, but she is usually pretty good about getting stuff that people would like to wear and it's usually accurate on the sizes."

Nodding, the raven haired woman used a towel to dry off her long hair before stripping the robe from her body, turning her back to Lucy as she dressed. The undergarments were… well… questionable to the woman who blushed slightly at the blood red lace before quickly putting on the bra and panty set. So used to being in the drab, oversized set she'd stolen at some point, she felt slightly awkward wearing something so beautiful and shyly moved to put on the pale gray tank top and black leggings that clung to her thin and malnourished body wonderfully while the leggings showed the obvious outline of the cilice on her upper thigh.

After pulling on the zip-up hoodie, Juliette slipped her feet into the comfortable canvas shoes that made walking less uncomfortable on her aching feet. She didn't remember the last time she'd walked in shoes that weren't worn from months of walking and it felt oddly comforting that Lucy's spirit had taken into account the blisters on her feet when selecting footwear for the poor woman.

"Let's go get some food," Lucy decided after helping Juliette to brush out her long hair and throwing her own sunny locks up into a ponytail.

Juliette followed silently, her eyes downcast as she itched her arm subconsciously. She really wished she hadn't ditched her pack. Her cigarettes were in there and the urges within her were growing and making her want to scream and rip at her hair. She forced herself to take calm, even breaths while she followed Lucy from the hotel room and down to the lobby where they met the others who had been with her when they'd found her at the border.

She was introduced to them all quickly, each one nodding to her in turn. They all seemed so… welcoming, warm. It was kind of staggering that they should be so kind to her when she'd done such horrific things. Juliette had been certain they would have shoved her back over the border when they'd found her and, yet, they only seemed to be showing her a kindness the likes of which she'd never seen before. It was unnerving.

She walked, her eyes downcast as she was put into the center of the group, none of the mages seeming to miss the slight limp in her step while they chose to ignore it. They made their way to a small restaurant and the large group was quickly seated outside, the fidgeting of the woman as she grew more anxious expanding as well, orange eyes darting around slightly as if she expected something to happen.

"What can I get for you all today?" The waitress was saying, her tone cheerful despite the slightly tense atmosphere surrounding the group.

Everyone put in their orders and eyes turned to Juliette as she flinched under the attention, unsure of herself as she looked down at the menu that had been placed in front of her. She looked up at Lucy pleadingly when the blonde put a hand on her shoulder, that gentle smile relaxing some of the frayed nerves within the raven haired woman.

"Would you like me to order you something?" She offered sweetly, eyes shining with understanding and calm.

Juliette nodded slightly and kept her eyes down when the waitress walked away with the menus in hand, telling them she would be back with their drinks in due time. She greedily drank the glass of water as soon as it was placed before her, the first clean drink she'd had in a very long time, the cool liquid sliding down her throat to relax the burning ache she felt there. Juliette didn't pay attention to the eyes following her every move, though she thanked Lucy with a slight nod when she passed her own glass of water towards the malnourished and dehydrated woman silently.

"Juliette."

Her eyes snapped up to lock onto the source of the voice, a man with blond hair and a jagged scar over one eye who she'd been told was named Laxus. He seemed to be scowling and Juliette worked to quickly decipher whether this man meant to harm her, the muscles in her body bracing for the inevitability of her need to make a quick escape. She'd already marked every exit and felt she might be able to get away if she were fast enough, not withstanding the fact that these people were all healthier than she was and would likely be able to catch her easily.

"Sparky," Lucy cut in, her voice relaxing the tension within Juliette's body easily although it was stern in addressing the larger blond. "You're scaring her. This can wait until she's had a decent meal."

"Blondie, you know we need to discuss what we're going to do with her," The man countered, authority in his tone that was contradicted by the slight adoration in his stormy gray eyes when they locked onto Lucy.

"Master and First have asked us to bring her back to the guild," A man with green hair whom was named Freed said from his spot at the table.

After this, a full argument broke out between the mages, all arguing about whether or not they should follow the orders they'd been given. Juliette shook slightly, her jaw tensing when she felt the familiar surge in her magic that usually lead to something bad happening. She squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing a hand over the cilice on her thigh so that the pain might distract her from losing control, it was all she could do to not snap right then and there.

"Enough," The redhead, Erza, said, effectively cutting off all arguments at the table. "This woman has dealt with enough and we will not be disobeying the Master. She will be coming back with us and that is final."

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked gently, noticing the tense muscles and furious rubbing of the woman's hand on her thigh, the one she knew held that spiked chain.

Juliette shook her head furiously, refusing to open her eyes as attention no doubt turned back to her. She whimpered when her hands were clasped between those of the lovely blonde, halting her motions of pressing the spikes into her skin. Lucy let out a soft gasp when she saw blood on the smaller woman's hands and gently used a cloth dipped into water to wipe it away.

"Laxus," Her tone was low, threatening as she continued the motions of cleaning the hands of the emotionally destroyed female. "We've all been told that she has no control over her magic. I don't want to hear it," She snapped when he started to say something else, making Juliette flinch slightly before Lucy's hands resumed their soothing motions. "Juliette has been through enough and she doesn't need to hear the arguing of you all."

Lucy stood from the table, bringing Juliette to her feet as well. She requested the waitress to pack their food into containers and, with the meals in one hand and the raven haired woman clutching the other like a lifeline, she left the group at the restaurant, gaping at what had just happened. They all knew that the woman was unstable and hadn't expected the reaction they'd received from both their beloved Celestial Spirit Mage and the woman who'd been a fugitive from another country.

"I'm sorry about him," Lucy said with a cheerful smile after ushering Juliette into the hotel room before closing and locking the door behind them. "He's usually not that bad, but, it's a hard situation he's been put in for a while with the Master."

As she spoke, Lucy opened up the containers of food and handed one to Juliette with a fork stuck into it. The raven haired woman eyed the serving of mashed potatoes, crumbled meat in a gravy sauce, and the steaming roll, her stomach clenching slightly from simply the smells coming off of it. She dove right in, her mouth watering on the first bite and her stomach seeming to swarm the small bite of food when she swallowed, causing a slight cramp that the woman simply ignored.

She hadn't had a decent amount of food in so long, and this was far better than the field rations and stale bread she was used to. Juliette ate about half of the food before her stomach protested and she had no other choice but to put the remainder aside, reaching for the glass of water Lucy had put on the bedside table before she'd sat down to eat her own food.

Orange eyes watched the blonde curiously over the rim of the glass, studying the beautiful woman before her. Lucy was classically beautiful with her gossamer hair and intelligent doe eyes, legs that were slender but showed muscles that would hold amazing strength. Her chest was prominent, balancing out wide hips and the whole package served up in softly tanned skin. This woman was one that made Juliette slightly jealous of how beautiful she was, honestly.

"Why do you wear it?"

The voice drew Juliette from her thoughts and she blinked at Lucy, following the woman's gaze down to where she'd been subconsciously rubbing the cilice again. It hadn't been intentional, but Juliette had been thinking about how the children in her village had all teased her for her differences. Where she'd been from, all of the women looked like Lucy did with the bright hair and dark eyes. Juliette was different after she'd been saved by Ares and different was not something that her people took to as kindly as the people of Fiore did.

Juliette frowned, setting the empty glass aside and feeling that her energy was beginning to wane as the food and water filled her empty and lacking system. "It is the only way to keep me from losing control," She said quietly, running a finger over the legging-concealed cilice.

"So, the pain keeps your magic from spiraling?" Lucy questioned, shifting in the bed to face the smaller woman.

"In the most basic sense, yes," Was the soft reply, orange eyes looking off at some point on the wall over Lucy's shoulder.

"What is your magic?"

This brought a slight sigh from Juliette as she shook her distant thoughts away, refocusing on the soothing eyes of her companion. "I… I'm not entirely sure," She admitted with shame clouding her voice. "Each time I use it, I black out completely. All I know is that, when I wake up, everything around me is destroyed and none are left living."

"Can you tell me how you got your magic?"

That was the question that Juliette had been dreading to hear, the small part within her gnawing and thrashing at the chance to escape while the majority of her flinched away from the response that was expected. She didn't know how best to answer, if she were to be honest. Should she simply tell the truth? Would Lucy believe it?

Taking a deep breath, Juliette looked back at the wall, her eyes growing unfocused as she pictured what her mother had told her when she'd been old enough to understand. "When I was young, barely three, I was quite fragile," Juliette began softly. "I got sick one say, some disease that was sweeping through all of the young children in the area and stealing their breath in the night. My mother was the head priestess in our village, one who served the God of Old, Ares."

"God of war," Lucy mumbled, earning a nod from the raven haired woman.

"She took me one night, with the moon gone from the sky, into the shrine," She continued, picturing the shrine that was now destroyed… thanks to her. "It was forbidden, but my mother was desperate. She had lost my father soon after I was conceived and feared being alone. And so, she took me into the shrine as I rasped and wheezed my last breaths. Ares appeared after she called, listened as she begged him to save my life. He did." Juliette closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, "He gave me magic that would make me strong and sucked away the magic that had been within me originally that was destroying my frail body."

"You were blessed by a god," The blonde gasped out, hands flying up to cover her mouth.

"More like cursed," Juliette's hand itched to rub her thigh and she balled it into a fist, relishing as her nails dug into her palms in an effort to remain as calm as possible. She'd never retold this story to another, and why she'd felt compelled to bare herself for this woman, she would never know. She just felt that Lucy should hear who, and what, she was defending back at the restaurant. "I can't control it," Tears began to fall silently from her eyes at this admission, guilt overwhelming the small woman. "I don't want to do the things I do when my magic consumes me, I just-"

Lucy surprised her by lunging forward and embracing the woman, allowing her to cry into her shoulder. So many years of wandering the country alone, stealing what she needed to survive and running from those who would have forced her to either fight or- if she refused- killed her for apparently supporting the other side. Juliette was broken and lonely, her heart throbbing painfully in her chest as this young and beautiful woman embraced her, allowing her to release the emotions she'd so painstakingly boxed up within her heart.

Juliette cried until she had nothing left to give, her breaths becoming ragged until they evened out and Lucy moved the smaller woman until she was laid on the bed, brushing a stray lock from her pale and splotchy face. "We will help you," The Stellar Mage promised firmly, a golden seal forming over her heart. "We will find a way to teach you to use your magic, even if it means we ask the one person in the world who would rather kill us than to help. I promise you, Juliette, you won't be alone ever again."


	5. Chapter 5

Light shone through a break in the curtains, slanting across the face of the raven haired beauty as she began to stir. Juliette cracked open an eye and sat up, waking as quickly as she always did, a habit that had formed as she hadn't had time to dally around for long while in the wilderness all those years she'd been on the move. The thoughts reminded her that she was in an unfamiliar place which caused her to glance around, orange gaze taking in the hotel room where she'd actually slept in a real bed for the first time since she had been a child.

The fact that Juliette had been able to sleep here was enough to make her realize she needed to keep her guard up and not be so lax in her judgement because, if she did that, she would be more likely to lose control and the disaster that would follow behind that would be much worse than it had ever been before. No, it wouldn't do for her to let her magic run wild here and ruin the good thing that she felt she might finally have going for herself.

She was alone, she could tell that much alone as she went into the bathroom to relieve herself. Her eyes glanced at the mirror, catching her reflection and causing a small sigh to escape her pert lips as she took in the red-rimmed eyes and blotchy cheeks. It was proof that Juliette had lost that pathetic grasp over her emotions that she'd had before when she'd cried when speaking with Lucy.

Juliette pointedly turned away from the mirror and sat on the cold tiles, tugging off her leggings so she could run her fingers over the cilice on her left thigh. The pinch of the spikes make her wince slightly when they were released, the raw flesh telling her that it was time to switch the chains to the other leg so she would still be able to move without cutting off the circulation too badly. She slid the strip of leather through the rung and set the device aside a moment, allowing her to massage the tender spot with her fingers, kneading life back into it on a light moan from the pain.

She had gotten so used to the pain from the cilice, had even grown to crave the feel of it hitting clean flesh and bringing herself the release she so desired. Desired? No, that wasn't the right word for it, now, was it? Juliette shook her head in response to her own thoughts, her long hair shaking out as a frown formed on her face. She deserved this pain for everything she'd done in her life, just as she'd caused pain on others, she needed to feel a portion of the horrible things she'd brought to others, it was the only way that she could redeem herself, even marginally.

The cilice was grasped once more and placed around her right thigh, slender fingers adjusting the height of it a moment before threading the leather strap back into the clasp. Her jaw clenched as she braced herself for the pain, knuckles going white as she gripped the ends of the object that allowed her to repent for her sins. Orange eyes welled with tears as she pulled harshly on the strap, the spikes digging into partially healed skin and causing blood to well up to drip onto the white floor.

Her breathing was ragged as Juliette locked the cilice in place, the scent of blood filling her senses as she curled her left leg up to rest her head onto her knee. She heard the door to her room open and tried to regain herself, grasping desperately at her control in this extremely vulnerable state she always fell into when resetting the cilice on her legs. She didn't need anyone to see her like this, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop them when the door to the bathroom was pushed open after she'd stupidly forgotten to click it shut.

Tired eyes closed on the audible gasp and Juliette forced herself to stay still on the floor, not bothering to move as she was very close to breaking down again and couldn't allow that to happen for the second day in a row with one of these people whom she was still uncertain about trusting. It wasn't until she felt the warmth of a body beside hers that Juliette turned her head enough to see someone crouched down next to her on the floor, green hair filling her line of sight.

Freed's face was grim as he placed a wet cloth onto the blood-covered chains spiked into the young woman's thigh, his brows drawn together when she flinched on a hissed breath. "Forgive me for walking in unannounced," His elegant voice drawled, gently using the cloth to wipe away the blood from the chains. "I wished only to speak to you about your ability to control yourself when we arrive back at the guild. If I had known…"

"If you had known what?" Juliette knew she was sounding rude and couldn't help it, her nerves frayed from the previous day's breakdown and the current readjustment to the fresh pain of moving her cilice. It wasn't something she enjoyed others seeing and, honestly, no one ever had before and she wasn't sure she liked anyone, especially this particular man, seeing her in such a vulnerable state. "If you'd known I was busy bleeding on the floor? What would you have done? Anything different than you are now?" She let out a humorless laugh at the thought, "I sincerely doubt that any of you would have been able to stop yourselves from barging in, had you known beforehand what I was doing. Humans are much too curious in their ventures to understand what others feel is right for themselves."

"I beg your pardon," The male said, sitting back on his heels and looking highly offended by her words. "I apologize for attempting to help you. I, myself, am curious in nature, yes, however, I would never willingly impede on another's business in such matters. I wish only to help you to clean away the blood and be assured that you will contain yourself when we leave for Magnolia."

Juliette wet her lips, embarrassment flooding herself as she attempted to control the magic that was threatening to come up. It wasn't often that she found herself fighting the urge to argue with someone and, this time, she had lost that small fight and snapped at someone who was only trying to do her a kindness. Gods, what was wrong with her if she couldn't even accept gestures such as help cleaning away the blood she caused herself?

"I can't," She whispered, shame clouding her voice as she stretched out her other leg and continued massaging the torn ragged flesh where the cilice had been for the past week, keeping her gaze averted from the man as she was sure her eyes were much darker than they should be. "I don't know how to control myself and it would be a lie if I told you that I would contain myself." The idea of ever being able to do that was beyond her and Juliette wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to control her magic.

"Let us get you cleaned up and ready to leave," Freed said almost stiffly. "We will discuss what to do on the road as we have a full day of travel before we make it to the guild."

Juliette took the cloth from him, still keeping her gaze directed towards the ruined flesh of her thigh so as not to let him see how dark her eyes were. "I will be out in a few minutes," She said quickly. "Just… Let me be alone for a moment." Her tone was pleading, hoping that he would allow her to get herself under control before having to see the rest of the people she was supposed to travel with.

The greenette seemed to accept this as he stood up and left the bathroom, and apparently the bedroom in entirety as she heard the outer door click shut behind him. Juliette released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as she looked down at her shaky hands. It wasn't every day that she had to deal with such massive amounts of socialization and human interaction, it was making her heart race from constantly being around so many different people. Her anxiety was increasing with each minute she spent around them with her barriers completely shattered and she needed to get that back into shape before she could safely be around any of them again.

She took her time, wiping away the remainder of the blood from both thighs as well as the floor before hobbling to her feet and tugging on her leggings to cover the cilice and the torn skin on her opposite thigh. It was necessary to give herself time to heal on one leg while the other had the chains attached so that the pain would be at it's peak, this way she was repenting at the maximum level she could and that she wouldn't become numb to the pain as scar tissue built up. It was something she'd done for years and helped her to regain some amount of control, stilling her anxiety over walking into towns and settings such as that, though not enough to stop her magic before it erupted during more explosive environments.

Juliette looked in the mirror as she braced her hands on either side of the sink, staring into her darkened eyes and once again cursing the Gods for doing this to her. She took several slow, even breaths, watching as those nearly black eyes cooled back down to the brilliant orange that they were naturally- or as naturally as they had been since she'd been "blessed" by the God. If only that God had simply denied her mother the chance to save the wretched child she'd been, if only she hadn't been accepted as the bearer of this horrific magic.

Shaking her head, Juliette turned away from the mirror and made her way out of the bathroom, sliding her feet into the canvas shoes that Lucy's spirit had supplied for her, she left the hotel room to nearly rub directly into the bubbly blonde. She was dressed in lighter clothing, a pair of jean shorts and white cropped t-shirt that clung to her lovely curves, looking as painfully beautiful as any of the other girls in Juliette's home village, the thought bringing a pang to her heart that she beat down mercilessly.

"We are lucky this town has a train station," Lucy was saying as she led the way down the stairs to meet up with the others. "It will take us directly to Magnolia and save us a lot of time traveling. We should reach the guild by this afternoon and then we will be meeting with the Master."

"We?" Juliette questioned softly, having withdrawn back into herself as a means to keep from becoming too relaxed so she wouldn't lose control.

"Just you, me, and Laxus," The blonde replied with a small smile as she grabbed the slightly smaller woman's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "He's going to be guild Master so he has to be there and I already told the Master that I refuse not to be there for you."

Juliette fell silent, choosing to focus on the ground as they were surrounded by the large group of mages once more, settling herself into the middle of the group with Lucy. It was strange, she really had allowed her barriers to fall rather quickly with these people rather quickly and it hadn't even been intentional. For some reason, her magic hummed around them and almost seemed to feed off of their moods. What was that, though?

The thought was what she mulled over during the train ride, what exactly it was that her magic seemed to be feeding off of about these people. There was no explanation as to why she would relax slightly more around them when she'd never been that way around others and the fact that her magic reacted this way around them had her somewhat concerned and confused.

She could smell some dark spice scent around Laxus and the hyperactive pinkette who both seemed particularly protective over the blonde. It was nothing new to her, the fact she could pick up on scents that she knew most humans could not pick up on and that her hearing was sharper than most. When it came down to it, she assumed it had to do with her magic and left it at that, not really having any other options as she didn't even know what kind of magic she possessed and was unable to look into it.

Juliette sighed, leaning on the railing out of the back of the train as she watched trees race by the train while it moved along the tracks, bound for Magnolia. It was nice to be moving so much faster and in a way that meant she didn't need to walk because her legs were sore from the changing of the cilice and her feet were blistered from how fast she'd been moving these past weeks in her urgency to escape Seven. This was a nice change and one she could get used to, if she managed to find a way to work with that damned magic.

So consumed by her thoughts, she didn't even notice the moment the object fell from the sky to follow along with the train. Her heart stopped for an instant and her orange eyes finally drank in the sight of the beast outside her window, it's inky black scales with the strange swirling blue patterns.

Once the shock wore off, Juliette's magic flooded her body and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the haze, praying that she wouldn't kill her new "friend"- if that's what Lucy was, anyways. She creaked open her eyes when she realized there was no haze, fresh shock filling her system as she was not standing in the wreckage of the train.

Instead, she was standing atop the train, a pair massive hammers grasped in her hands as her hair whipped wildly in the wind. The dragon seemed to halt in it's tracks with some breath attack, it's eyes gleaming with some form of interest in the small woman who appeared ready for a battle.

"It is you," The beast seemed to growl in a deep voice that seeped into Juliette's bones.

It gave one down-stroke of it's wings and flew up into the air, a smattering of cyan blue magic covering it before a man appeared on the train car across from Juliette as she kept her eyes on the would-be attacker. At first glance, she could tell this man was nothing less than a warrior with his deeply tanned skin that was marred by scarring over a very long life. She didn't know why, but Juliette could tell that this man was far older than she was and dangerous with the hint of malice flowing out from the amount of magic flowing out into the air.

It was what she saw flowing in the wind that caused the hammers to simply slide from her small hands to clatter onto the roof of the train car. Darkened black eyes went wide with shock and Juliette fell to her knees, hands clutching at her hair as she felt herself beginning to cry for almost no reason at all, her skull seeming to feel as though it were about to crack in half. Some strange feeling swamped over her and she couldn't find it within herself to do much more than to whimper at the pain in her head, confusion and fear filling her to the brim.

"I…" She whimpered, unable to formulate words through the piercing pain in her skull. She took a shaky breath in, attempting to push the pain away when it simply faded in a moment, leaving her calmer than before. "Do I know you?" Juliette questioned the man, unsure of what just happened.

"You do not remember," The man seemed to be slightly sorrowful at this fact and his brows drew together in some way that seemed familiar.

Out of impulse, Juliette found herself using her thumb to smooth away the crease in the man's forehead only to pause when she caught what she was doing and pull her hand away. Something seemed to occur to the raven haired woman as she blinked slowly. "You were a dragon."

"You used to enjoy that," He replied with an almost sad upturn to the corner of his lip that disappeared in an instant. "I'd thought you to be dead."

"So, I do know you," Juliette surmised, attempting to remember what must have happened but ended up wavering on her feet when another spark of pain pricked at her head. "Why can't I remember?" She whimpered desperately, a single tear sliding down her cheek only to be caught in the winds above the train and dried away completely.

"I promise you, cor meum," The man said as his magic seemed to shimmer around himself, taking a step to the edge of the train. "I will find him and force him to release this. I will not lose you once more."

Before she could move forward, the man had leapt from the side of the train and the black dragon flew into the air, quickly seeming to disappear far above the clouds. Juliette moved automatically, grasping the twin hammers on the roof and they seemed to dissipate in a misty red magic. She looked up when someone new joined her on the roof and was met with the sight of Laxus and the pinkette, Natsu, both seeming to be growling loudly in their chests.

It was then that Juliette realized what that dark spice scent was, her orange eyes looking up to make out the smallest black spec far into the distance; Dragon.


End file.
